United
by McManda627
Summary: "The minute you move on him, I'm gone."     My drabble on the line from the 'Dial M For Mayor' promo. Spoilers for the promo and allusions to the first sneak, though nothing major.


A Castle/Beckett drabble based on a line from the "Dial M For Mayor" promo. I know it's edited together in the promo, but for the purposes of this story, it's one line. The promo also makes it look like they're pitting Castle against Beckett, but I think that's also just editing, and instead it'll end up Castle and Beckett against Gates, at least until they solve that murder.

Spoilers for the "Dial M For Mayor" promo and general allusions to the first sneak (mainly the victim's name and Castle's history with the mayor, so nothing huge). My take on how I think they'll end up standing together until it becomes AU after Monday.

I don't really know how I feel about it, but it popped into my head and only took may 45 minutes to write, so take it as you will. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.

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><p>She followed him into the break room and shut the door. He turned to face her and she could tell he was ready to explode on her.<p>

"What the hell, Castle? You can't just disregard eyewitness testimonies just because you would rather not believe it."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for him being around there," he excused.

"We still have to follow that up. We go where the evidence leads and right now, the evidence is pointing right to Mayor Weldon."

"What about the chauffeur?" His voice was getting louder. "You weren't able to verify his alibi. Maybe you should look into that."

"And we will, but we can't place him at the crime scene. There would have been no reason for him to be in that building. But we can place the mayor in that building, and with the car. Right now that's our best lead."

He shook his head, agitated at her argument.

"I know he's your friend and I'm sorry about that. But what's this really about, Castle?"

He scoffed. "The minute you move on him, I'm gone."

"Castle …" he voice was firm.

"You know it's true, Kate. Gates doesn't like me. She'd use any reason to make me stay away if she could. He's the only reason I'm here right now."

She sighed. "What are we supposed to do? He is the main suspect in our murder investigation. I can't ignore that."

He didn't answer, instead turning and taking a step away from her and running his hand through his hair. The silence in the room was deafening and she waited a long moment before she spoke, her voice soft.

"I find the truth, Castle. That's my job. I have to give those families the justice they deserve."

He turned back to face her intending to fight with her decision, fight for his place by her side. Her pained expression stopped him short and knocked the fight out of him.

"I want to give them justice. I do. And if the Mayor is responsible for killing Laura Cambridge, it doesn't matter that he's the mayor, or your friend. I just …" she trailed off, closing her eyes.

"You just, what?" he pressed.

She opened her eyes to meet his, biting the side of her lip before she continued. "I don't want to lose you, Castle." Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. "You're helpful. You think outside of the box and force us to be better cops." She saw the hope that had come back to his eyes and she tried harder. "I like having you around. You make solving murders fun. I – I like spending time with you and listening to your crazy theories."

He was still quiet.

Her voice was low and she dropped her gaze. "I'd miss you if you were gone."

He didn't know what to say. It was the first time that she'd let her guard down and admitted how his leaving would really impact her, and it made his stomach clench. _She'd miss_ _him. _He chanced taking a step towards her and reached for her arm.

"Kate."

She looked up at him and he saw the tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall.

"I don't know what to do, Castle."

His hand slid down her arm to take her hand. "You want me around?" He increased the grip on her hand, squeezing lightly. She nodded slowly and the corner of his mouth lifted in the semblance of a smile.

"I've known him for twelve years," he said quietly. "He's my friend. I want to believe in that. I do. But I've been wrong before, and you're the best. So we follow this. We investigate the mayor." She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued on. "We investigate the mayor, and we close this case. And if Gates tries to push me out, we push back. I'll fight to stay here." He tried to gauge her reaction. "If you want me to," he qualified.

"I do," she told him, looking down at their joined hands. "I'll fight with you."

"We'll get through this." He gripped her hand tighter. "We'll be okay, Kate. I promise."


End file.
